A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sound producing apparatus, and a system employing such an apparatus, for implementing the process of production and output of the necessary sounds used in, for example, television game machines or karaoke units. In particular, the invention relates to a sound producing apparatus, and a system employing such an apparatus, which generate sound signals based on sound-production data.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional system for producing and processing sounds is known as the "karaoke system." A conventional karaoke system mainly employs laser discs. This karaoke system obtains the necessary signals through optical pick-up from the laser disc in which the sound signals and picture signals are stored, demodulates them through signal demodulator circuits, displays the pictures based on the picture signals on a display, and reproduces the sound based on the sound signals from speakers.
If one tried to stock 10,000 musical titles, for example, in one karaoke system of the type above, the karaoke system itself would be oversized. In addition, it would have the weakness of requiring extra work necessary for adding and changing the laser discs. Another weakness is that the laser discs themselves could not be supplemented immediately after the release of new musical titles.
Recently, a karaoke system has been provided which has resolved such weak points. This karaoke system comprises a host unit which stores a predetermined number of music titles and transfers them to a terminal karaoke unit which accesses the host unit. Then, the karaoke unit can reproduce the sounds and pictures based on the data transferred from the host unit and realizes musical performance.
Such a karaoke system has been constructed in consideration of the following points. First, the data necessary for the karaoke system is classified in waveform data relating to the sound to be generated and musical performance data for controlling the timing of synthesizing the sound. Second, the karaoke system is constructed in a manner such that the necessary amount of sound waveform data for the titles currently being provided can be written in the ROM as a sound source IC. This ROM data can be used by the sound signal generator and sound processor arranged in the karaoke unit. Third, the sound given forth can be produced from the musical performance data and the waveform data stored in the ROM. Fourth, each of the terminal karaoke units is constructed so as to be able to communicate with the host unit which stores the musical performance data of a great number of musical titles.
When a musical title is selected by a user or player at the terminal karaoke unit, this information is transferred to the host unit. The host unit transfers the musical performance data, which is the sound production data for the relevant title to the karaoke unit. The karaoke unit produces the sound signals through its sound signal generating and processing unit based on such musical performance data and the waveform data of the ROM. Then, the necessary sound output relating to selected musical title is obtained.
This type of karaoke system does not require supply of the terminal karaoke unit with supplementary performance data of each new title. It does, though, enable the karaoke unit to perform new titles immediately merely by supplying the host unit with the supplementary performance data relating to the new titles.
However, the karaoke system described above has the weakness that the variation of timbres becomes fixed as the waveform data is stored in ROM. Depending upon the contents of the performance data, lack of adequate waveform data for production of the sounds may arise. In addition, production of sounds may deteriorate or even become impossible.
Naturally, the exchange of ROM leads to addition or renewal of waveform data and accordingly to an increase or change in timbres. The additional installment of ROM leads to the addition of new waveform data and accordingly to an increase in the number of timbres. However, this solution requires not only extra work, but it is also very difficult to perform this at all of the terminal karaoke units.